Sir Keir Starmer and European leaders say they 'will not stop defending' Greenland over Trump threat
Sir Keir Starmer and European counterparts have said they will “not stop defending” Greenland’s territorial integrity in the face of continued threats from Donald Trump to annex it.
The Prime Minister and leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark called the US, as a Nato ally, an “essential partner” in defending Arctic security and stressed that Greenland “belongs to its people” in a joint statement.
This was published yesterday ahead of a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris, which included Sir Keir, and was the Prime Minister’s strongest statement so far in opposition to Mr Trump.
The US President has insisted that taking over Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, is vital for his country’s national security.
One of his senior aides said on Monday that nobody would mount a military fight against the US to defend Greenland.
The US already has access to the huge ice-laden island through a military base, via a long-standing defence agreement with Denmark.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that efforts to take over the territory by force would mean the end of the Nato military alliance.
Sir Keir and the other leaders said: “Nato has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European allies are stepping up.
“We and many other allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries.
“The Kingdom of Denmark – including Greenland – is part of Nato.
“Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with Nato allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.
“These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them.”
They called the US an “essential partner” in this endeavour due to its status as a Nato ally and through the 1951 defence agreement between the US and Denmark.
They said: “Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller had cast doubt on the legitimacy of Denmark’s territorial claim over Greenland in an interview with CNN.
He also said there was “no need” to consider whether the US might carry out a military operation to take it over because “nobody is going to fight the US militarily over the future of Greenland”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman sidestepped questions about whether the UK would be willing to mount a military fight to defend the territory, saying he did not want to “get into hypotheticals”.
Asked if Sir Keir sees Mr Trump as a threat to European security, he said “no”.
The statement came amid a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, including Sir Keir, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The European nations were trying to agree to security guarantees to protect Ukraine following any kind of ceasefire with Russia.
A multinational force led by Europe would provide “reassurance measures in the air, at sea and on land”, according to the draft statement.
Sir Keir Starmer has previously said he would put British “boots on the ground” to protect Ukraine following some sort of deal with Putin.
There would also be US involvement through “intelligence and logistics”, the draft statement added, alongside a “US commitment to support the force in case of attack” from Russia.